In recent decades, electronic technology, including communication technology, has revolutionized our everyday lives. Electronic devices such as PDA's, cell phones, e-books, notebook computers, mobile media players and digital cameras have permeated the lives of almost every person living in the developed world—and quite a number of people living in undeveloped countries. Mobile communication and computing devices, especially, have become the means by which countless millions conduct their personal and professional interactions with the world. It has become almost impossible for many people, especially those in the business world, who use these devices as a means to improve productivity, to function without access to their electronic devices.
However, with this tremendous proliferation in the use of electronic devices, there has developed a tradeoff between enhanced productivity and simplicity or convenience. As handheld devices evolved to perform more and more tasks, the complexity of the interfaces required to interact which these devices has likewise increased. Many of today's handheld devices come equipped with some variation or another of a full typewriter keyboard. Some devices have fixed keyboards which are electromechanical in nature, while others project a keyboard, a key pad or some variation of either onto a display associated with a touch screen sensor array. Because of the need to keep mobile or handheld devices compact enough to carry around, many of the physical and virtual (i.e. projected keyboards and keypads) implemented on these devices have keys or other interface components which are quite small relative to an average human finger, thus difficult to operate.
Thus, there is a need for improved methods, circuits, apparatus and systems for interfacing with an electronic device.